They are the women who provide dishes for the church's potluck suppers and deliver homemade desserts to shut-ins. A disapproving look from one of them can put starch into the spine of a slouching child. They are women of faith and women of humor. They are the church ladies.

In her book The Church Ladies' Divine Desserts: Heavenly Recipes and Sweet Recollections, author Brenda Rhodes Miller pays tribute to the women who are the backbone of a congregation. Her book includes more than 200 recipes and profiles of African-American church ladies from across the country.

Miller visited the central branch of Howard County Public Library this month to share her reverence for these women and to sign copies of her book. Library staff members treated participants to desserts baked according to the recipes in Miller's book, including Fresh Lime Pie, Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake and Sock-It-To-Me Cake.

Miller said the church has been a big part of her life since she was a child in Mobile, Ala. She sang in the choir and was a United Methodist Sunday school teacher for 12 years. Now a resident of Washington, Miller is married to the Rev. Courtenay L. Miller, pastor of Norbeck Community Church in Silver Spring.

"A lot of the women who have been very important to me in my life have been very involved in their churches," Miller said. "I think what distinguishes church ladies is that they are committed to their faith, but they are also committed to their church community. I thought those women should be celebrated."

Miller remembers spending time in the kitchen as a child listening to her grandmother and aunts, all church ladies, as they prepared their favorite dishes for family and members of their congregation. She said she learned about more than just the details of family recipes. She learned about hospitality, kindness and generosity.

"Making food for people is a way of taking care of them, especially in a church setting," Miller said. "It's a time that people can gather and share the fellowship that happens around a meal. Sharing a meal is a way we express our humanity and our concern for each other."

Ruth Bland, a Columbia resident who attended the book- signing, agrees. "I'm a church lady," she said. "I belong to Martin Luther King Community Church here in Columbia. In the Christian church, the sharing of food is part of the fellowship. It's part of getting to know each other, of being friends and sharing life events."

Another Columbia resident, Olivia Gross, told the story of a woman who shares her delicious cakes with members of her church, but won't reveal her recipes. "She makes the best cakes in Maryland, but she refuses to share her recipes," Gross said. "I've asked her for her recipes, but she says, 'No, I'll make you the cake and I'll bring it to you.' She doesn't have any children, and I would hate for us to lose that part of our heritage."

Miller suggested asking the woman to leave her recipes to the church in her will. Gross said she hoped that would entice the woman to record her recipes for future generations.

"When I cook, I'm giving love," Gross said. "It's letting someone know that you think enough of them to make something from scratch."

Miller said that her recipe for Red Velvet Pound Cake, included in the book, is one of her favorites. It has been her family's official birthday cake for the past 20 years.

Red Velvet Pound Cake

3 sticks butter or margarine

3 cups sugar

8 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ounce red food coloring

3 cups cake flour

1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and food coloring. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt in a large bowl. Stir into the creamed mixture, one cup at a time, alternating with 1/3 cup milk until all the dry ingredients and milk have been incorporated. Pour the batter into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake for about 65 to 75 minutes or until cake tests done when checked with a long wooden pick. Turn cake out onto wire rack; let cool. Frost with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting

1 container (8 ounces) pineapple cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 to 3 tablespoons cream or milk

Combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl; beat well. Stir in vanilla and enough cream to make the frosting spread easily; mix.